Humane treatment pledged for Stairfoot roundabout rabbits during £30m revamp
“Wild rabbits are not a legally protected species, but their welfare will not be ignored.”
Wild rabbits occupying green space on a busy Barnsley roundabout will be treated humanly during a £30m improvement scheme, the council has pledged.
Checks for occupied burrows will take place at Stairfoot Roundabout before vegetation and ground are cleared from the central island to make way for two underground rainwater tanks and a new road layout.
The works form part of improvements to the A633 and A635, in a bid to ease congestion at one on Barnsley's busiest bottlenecks which carries around 50,000 vehicles per day.
Plans include wider entry and exit lanes, straighter approaches from Wombwell Lane and Bleachcroft Way, improved walking and cycling routes and a replacement Trans Pennine Bridge over Grange Lane.
The scheme will affect the habit of a long standing colony of wild rabbits which reside on the roundabout - but Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council say their welfare 'will not be ignored'.
Councillor David Goddard, cabinet spokesperson for environment and transport at BMBC told the local democracy reporting service: "The improvement scheme will affect both the central island and the shrub-planted bank between Hunningley Lane and Wombwell Lane. The bank is a separate area included in the compulsory purchase order, while the central island is already highway land.
“As part of the works, vegetation and ground on the central island will be removed from the central island so two underground tanks can be installed to manage rainwater and the new roundabout layout can be built.
"A preliminary ecological appraisal has been completed, and the contractor will carry out further checks of the island, the bank and other verges before clearance begins to confirm whether burrows are present or occupied.
“Wild rabbits are not a legally protected species, but their welfare will not be ignored. Any burrows within the works area will be managed lawfully and humanely, in line with animal-welfare legislation, Defra good practice and the contractor’s Construction Environmental Management Plan.
"Once construction is complete, the central island will be larger than it is now and will be replanted.”